News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

April 29, 2007

The 49ers spent the fourth-round Sunday adding size and depth to their defense.

Their first pick in the round, Jay Moore, played defensive end at Nebraska last season, recording six sacks for the Cornhuskers. He also stood out in Senior Bowl for the North squad with two sacks, both coming against the 49ers' first-round draft pick, tackle Joe Staley.

"Me and Joe, we had some battles that week, " Moore said in a conference call from his Omaha home.

Moore said he currently weighs 273 pounds, but probably will need to drop 10 pounds or so as he moves to linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 scheme. Moore said he had plenty of experience dropping into coverage at Nebraska and believes he'll be able to handle the position change.

The 49ers again went for size with their second pick in the fourth round. Dashon Goldson played cornerback last season for the Washington Huskies, but at 6-2, 208 pounds might be a better fit at safety.

Their last pick in the draft, Florida's Joe Cohen, figures to see time behind Aubrayo Franklin at nose tackle. The 315-pound Cohen said he was good friends with 49ers' third-round pick Ray McDonald. Cohen said he came to Florida as an offensive linemen, and McDonald helped him make the transition to defense.

"He just coached me up on pass moves, how to handle opponents," said Cohen, who phoned McDonald minutes after the 49ers called him Sunday.
--Matt Barrows

MATTHEW BARROWS

Matt was born in Blacksburg, Va., and attended the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1995, went to Northwestern for a journalism degree a year later, and got his first job at a South Carolina daily in 1997. He joined The Bee as a Metro reporter in 1999 and started covering the 49ers in 2003. His favorite player of all time is Darrell Green.